Like We Used To
by aftersh0cks
Summary: Percy and Annabeth have the perfect relationship, until everything is ruined by a misunderstanding and an abusive man. Percabeth Songfic.


_A/N: After hearing this song, I thought it was a great Percabeth break-up song. No real flames allowed please, but feel free to use _**proper** _critisism_. I am not Rick Riordan, however much I would like to be. Rated T for swearing, sexual references, and tense moments. Don't read if you don't like.

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I could feel her breath as she's sleeping next to me

_Sharing pillows and cold feet_

"Aw, Percy, your feet are _freezing_," Annabeth complained, snuggled up in the same bed with her husband, facing him.

"Well, yours are too," retorted Percy. "Winter. It's not nice."

"Really? I'd rather have winter than summer," Annabeth said.

"Me too," Percy admitted. "I don't get to have you by my side all summer."

_She can feel my heart, fell asleep to its beat_

_Under blankets and warm sheets_

Fast-forward to a year later. They were twenty-one. Percy was still awake, listening to the sound of Annabeth's slow breathing. She was beautiful when she slept. She was strong when she was sleeping. Not many girls could pull that off, but Annabeth, his Wise Girl, his wife, could. Percy smiled in the darkness and started dozing off.

_If only I could be in that bed again_

_If only it was me instead of him_

Two years later, at twenty-three. Annabeth's side of the bed is empty. Her possessions are all gone from the walls, the desk, the dresser. In the rest of the rooms, the same thing has happened. The only things that Percy has kept is an old sweatshirt of hers, which he would take out every-so-often. He still lies awake at night, though he has no Wise Girl in the bed to help him sleep.

_Does he watch your favorite movies_?

Let's rewind now, to a year earlier. Annabeth was putting the movie _Letters to Juliet_ into the Blu-Ray player. Percy was making popcorn in one of those popcorn-making machines. Quite honestly, he was not too excited to watch a romantic movie. But it was one of Annabeth's favorite movies, and as it was Annabeth's favorite movie, he was more than happy to watch it.

"I have the popcorn, Wise Girl," he said, taking the bowl out from under the spout.

"You know what's better than the popcorn?" Annabeth asked him, taking it but setting it back onto the counter.

Percy shook his head, but he was smiling, as if he knew what Annabeth was going to say.

"You, Seaweed Brain," said Annabeth, and kissed him. "Let's watch the movie," she said as they broke apart.

At first, when they had watched movies like this, Percy had fallen asleep. Now, Percy did not, as Annabeth would keep him awake during the movie.

_Does he hold you when you cry?_

"Annabeth, it's going to be okay, sweetheart," Percy murmured as Annabeth cried into his blue sweater. "Your dad's in Elysium. He would be, I just know it."

Only a few minutes previously, Annabeth had gotten the call that her father, Dr. Frederick Chase, had been hit by a car and had died instantly, though her stepmother Holly, and her two brothers Matthew and Bobby had lived.

"I-I-I know. It j-just hap-p-pened so f-f-fast, and I d-didn't think-k he'd d-d-die this early," Annabeth said between sobs. "I'm s-sorry, P-Percy."

"Shh, shh, you don't have to apologize."

"A-at least I h-have the others. And you." She was really trying to control her crying, she really was, but her father had just _died_, for goodness sake. She had every right to cry.

Percy didn't say anything. He just held her, hugged her to him tightly.

_Does he let you tell him all your favorite parts when you've seen it a million times_?

"And in _Kick-Ass, _when Hit-Girl comes in, it's amazing," Annabeth ranted off at breakfast the night after they'd watched one of their favorite movies. "She's just like, _bam! Bam! Bam!_ Remember the war? We could've used a hundred of her."

"We could," Percy agreed. "Kronos wouldn't stand a chance."

"Exactly," Annabeth said, grinning. "And that torture scene was pretty tense, and when Big Daddy died, it was _not_ nice. But I knew that Hit-Girl was going to save the day, again, and that last line?"

"Show's over, motherfuckers," Percy recited immediately, at the same time that Annabeth did.

"It's amazing," Percy concluded.

"No, that's kind of cool," corrected Annabeth. "What's amazing is that you know what I'm thinking."

"It's weird," they said at the same time. Then the two burst into laughter. A young and happy relationship.

Of course, Percy had heard the "Hit-Girl is amazing!" rant a million times. He wasn't growing tired of it. As long as it was Annabeth, he would never grow tired of it.

_Does he sing to all your music, while you dance to purple rain?_

Owl City was blaring from the speakers. "I like to make myself believe, that planet Earth turns slowly," sang Percy, knowing it was horrible. Annabeth was dancing, and she was actually good. Better than Percy, at least. She spun around, laughing, and then into Percy's arms.

"You're so horrible it's amazing, Seaweed Brain," she said. "But that's one of the things I love about you."

"You're simply amazing, and that's one of the things I love about you," Percy said, before kissing her full on the lips.

Percy loved Annabeth and Annabeth loved Percy. There wasn't much more to say.

_Does he do all these things like I used to?_

And now it's present time again. Percy's sitting in his blue car, reliving memories of him and Annabeth when they were actually together, happy ... before the instant that shattered the glass instantly.

_Fourteen months and seven days ago, I know how you felt about that night_.

Rewind to fourteen months and seven days ago. Nine o'clock PM. Annabeth picked up the phone and dialed a number. She was looking _quite_ irritated.

The phone rang a couple times on the other side before it answered with a tired voice. "Hello?"

Annabeth's reply was sharp, irritated and demanding. "Where's Percy, Rachel?"

"I - I don't know," Rachel said. There was a yell on the other side of the phone, and another muted yell of "Shut up! It's not her!" from Rachel.

"He's at your house," Annabeth seemed to realize.

"He isn't. Look, I gotta go, see you." The phone was hung up with a click. There was a moment's pause from Annabeth's side, then she put down the phone, marched to her room and started emptying her clothes into one of their travel suitcases.

Meanwhile, Percy was working late, _really_ late, and he got sidetracked from going home by a monster, which he had to drive around to lose. When it became apparent that he could not ditch the monster, he got out of his car and fought it easily. He drove back home, looking tired.

He expected to see Annabeth curled up in their bed, sleeping, and he was ready to curl up with her. But when he got back in, Annabeth was up at three o'clock in the morning with all her things packed up.

"Hi, Anna--" Percy began, but frowned. "What are you doing, dear?"

"Oh, it's 'what are you doing, dear', now?" she asked him. "I know you were sleeping with Rachel tonight!"

"What? No, I wasn't."

"Really? 'Cause I called her, and she sounded tired _and_ in a hurry to get off the phone! You look tired, like you haven't gotten any sleep and you've been getting some form of exercise, if you know what I mean. I know, Percy, I'm fucking Wise Girl!"

Normally, Annabeth would stop to think about it first. But one of her weaknesses was Percy, and she had never trusted Rachel.

"Annabeth, calm down. I was at work, okay? And then I had a monster tailing me on the way home. Rachel's not supposed to date. I was nowhere near her house today."

"I don't believe you," Annabeth said, her voice shaking with anger. "You called her earlier today."

"To tell her to tell you that I was going to be late, because the phone wasn't working," Percy replied calmly.

Annabeth frowned, remembering that when the call was made, the phone had been out of batteries. "Why didn't you call my cell?"

"It was in my pocket, for some reason," he said. But now anger was starting to rise in his voice. Percy took out Annabeth's cell phone, and gave it to her.

She snatched it up. "I still don't believe you."

"You're the daughter of Athena," Percy said. "Think things over a bit!"

"I've thought over them enough, and I decided I don't trust you."

She dragged her possessions out the door and slammed it. Percy thought he heard a sob as it closed. "Fuck," he said, then sat down on the chair.

One week later, the papers were official.

Three weeks later, she had a new boyfriend.

Two months later, she was married to Evan Leigh.

The first thing Percy did when he heard this news (and he wasn't even invited to the wedding, not that he'd _like_ to be there, but it'd be nice if he knew Annabeth didn't hate his guts, dammit) was call Nico. He felt guilty asking this, but:

"Can you spy on Annabeth and Evan for me?"

"What?"

"Yeah," Percy said, tracing Annabeth's name in the fogged-up glass of his bedroom window, "exactly that."

"I feel bad doing this, man, but I guess you'd like to know?"

"Yeah." He finished off the _h_ with a long tail, like Annabeth's own handwriting, and started off on the _C_.

"Fine."

"Nico?"

"Yeah?"

"You're the most fucking awesome guy ever, you know that?"

"Uh, thanks?"

_Click_.

The _e_ also had a tail.

_Just your skin against the window, but we took it slow and we both know_

Percy was sitting in his room, drinking coffee, when the phone rang. He snatched it up. "Annabeth?" he asked hopefully.

"Sorry, man, it's me," said Nico's voice on the other side of the phone.

"Oh."

"You sound disappointed."

"Well, yeah, I am."

"Figures. Well, brace yourself."

Percy did. He put up a mental wall and built it with the forces of Manhattan, steel, and what he remembered of Annabeth's love.

"I'm ready, I think."

"Percy, Annabeth and that Evan guy were kissing in the back of a car. Really. Freaking. Hard."

Percy's mental defenses crumbled instantly. He bit down on his lip, hard, wishing.

_It should've been me inside that car, _

_it should've been me instead of him in the dark_

"Uh, Percy, are you okay?" Nico's reply came after a few minutes of silence and Percy scratching at his wrist.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Fuck, no!"

Now he was up, pacing the living room. "That should've been me," he burst out. "That should've been me. I love her. And she has to go and fuck with another guy instead of me? I feel like crying. And for a 23-year-old guy, that's fucking lame."

Nico didn't reply. The click hadn't happened yet, so Percy knew that he wasn't gone.

"One monster, and one instance of staying late at work? I thought she was supposed to be wise, I thought she was supp--" Suddenly, Percy's voice cracked, and he sat down on the couch again, and a tear leaked out one of his eyes, combining anger, sadness, and love.

"You know, it's okay. When a guy cries over a girl, that's completely fine, and it's only because you love her. I know you love her, man, and I'll leave you alone." The phone clicked.

Percy put it down, put his heads in his hands, gritted his teeth, and tried to get through it like a man.

It didn't work.

_Does he watch your favorite movies?_

As Percy struggled through the news, Annabeth was in her shabby apartment, memories of Percy's apartment flashing through her mind. "Uh, Evan?" she piped up. "Can we watch _Letters to Juliet_?"

Evan looked at her. He was a guy with a scruffy beard, and he was fat and lazy and expected Annabeth to make all the money in this relationship. He was _nice_ and he was _handsome_ and she thought he was great when she had married him.

But then it got worse. Finally, in a rage, she threatened to leave him and Evan took a knife and sliced along her arm. Later, it would leave an ugly scar. "Leave me and you die," he had roared at her, before going away.

Annabeth very much wanted Percy. But she couldn't have him. Not now. Surely he hated her for leaving him when she had been convinced. Rachel had explained everything when she had finally agreed to talk to the Oracle of Delphi. But it was too late.

"No!" Evan said. "No movies, bitch."

She fell quiet. _Percy, I'm sorry_, she thought.

_Does he hold you when you cry?_

Annabeth was not having a nice day. She was crying again as a result of Evan's rage. Why was he angry at her? Because she was crying. Gods, when would it ever end?

_Does he let you tell him all your favorite parts when you've seen it a million times?_

"So, in this movie, Kick--"

"I don't want to hear about any movies."

Annabeth fell quiet. She wanted to go. She wanted to leave, she wanted to leave, she wanted to leave.

_Does he sing to all your music while you dance to purple rain?_

Annabeth was listening to her iPod that she'd gotten from Percy. At first, she had nearly thrown it away, but then decided it wasn't worth paying for a new one.

The sound cut short and she looked to see a broken iPod on her bed.

_Does he do all these things like I used to?_

_Gods, I wish he was like Percy_, Annabeth thinks. She is at work. Evan never lets her do _anything_ unless it was something for his advantage. She puts her head on her hands, wondering what her life had come to.

_I know love, I'm a sucker for that feeling_

This wasn't love. Annabeth had known that a long time ago. Suddenly, she gets up. This is the time that Evan would be going out to buy beer. She smiles to herself, and heads to her car.

_Happens all the time, love, and I always end up feeling cheated_

In this relationship, yes. But not in her previous one. Annabeth gets in the car and drives.

_You're on my mind, love, darling I know I'm not needed _

Annabeth is in her apartment fast. She packs up all her clothes in a garbage bag, picks out what she needs, and gets the hell out of there, fast. She needed Percy. He was on her mind all the time. And she needed to get away from this bastard person who abused her.

She arrives at Percy's apartment with the garbage bag thrown over her shoulder. She's changed into jeans and a t-shirt, and when he answers, his mouth falls open.

"Annabeth? I'm not hallucinating, am I?"

She steps fowards into his arms and kisses him right there, feeling the familliar scent of him, feeling what she'd missed for the past fourteen months and seven days.

_Will he love you like I loved you?_

_Will he tell you everyday_?

From day one, it had always been, "I love you, Annabeth," or, "I love you, Wise Girl," or "I just freaking love you so much," every single day.

And now they're in the kitchen, the door locked, trying to make up for what they've missed for the past fourteen months and seven days, pressed against each other.

"I love you," Percy's murmuring into Annabeth's ear. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

_Will he make you feel like you're invincible with every word he'll say?_

"You're the most amazing girl ever," Percy is still hugging her tightly, kissing her. "You're invincible. You don't have to take a dip in the Styx, you're just invincible the way yo--"

Annabeth is hugging him, but at the same time rubbing his Achilles spot. She'd experimented with it a long time ago.

"_Don't_ do that, Annabeth." He paused to moan through gritted teeth, then added, "Actually, do. I know you're returning to normal."

_Can you promise me that this was right?_

_Don't throw it all away_

_Can you do all these things?_

_Will you do all these things like we used to?_

It was a bit before Percy and Annabeth were sitting on the couch, hugging each other tightly.

"It was wrong, Percy," she said. "I threw a year of my life away just because I was angry at you."

"I understand, Annabeth. It was hard for both of us," Percy said.

"Let's forget that," Annabeth murmured, kissing him again. "Let's pretend that last year never happened."

"Deal."

"Like we used to," said Annabeth. "_Like we used to_."


End file.
